The present invention relates to storage containers and, more particularly, to an enclosure for holding collars, cap rings, pacifiers and nipples for baby bottles, suitable for use in a dishwasher.
Contemporary dishwashers and dishwasher accessories include a variety of racks and different types of storage compartments that are suitable for holding different types of dishes and utensils, while exposing them for proper cleaning in a dishwasher. However, certain types of articles are sized or shaped such that conventional racks and container devices are inadequate to simultaneously hold such articles while exposing them for proper cleaning. Nipples, collars, and cap rings for baby bottles are exemplary of such articles that are not adequately supported and maintained in place for proper washing by conventional dishwasher racks and storage containers.
Several types of containers and other types of supports have been proposed to address the deficiencies of the conventional dishwasher racks and storage containers. One such container is a nipple rack formed of a wire frame construction and sized to receive a plurality of nipples disposed in linear array. Though such containers are suitable for holding nipples they are not designed for holding collars, cap rings and pacifiers, which must be stored separate from nipples.
Other contemporary devices are designed to hold and facilitate washing the collars. One such article is a flat, thin layer of resilient material formed to have peripheral portions shaped to fit within the collars and hold them in place. Such articles are unsatisfactory in that they require undue manipulation of the collars for mounting and further in that the material interfaces with the cleaning of the inside of the collar. Another contemporary device for holding and facilitating the washing of collars is a ring adapted to fit through the apertures in the collars. The ring may then be secured to a convenient portion of the dishwasher rack. Such articles also require undue manipulation of the collars and fail to provide any means for holding and washing the cap rings, nipples or pacifiers.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an assembly that addresses the deficiencies in contemporary devices by providing a device that can conveniently hold and facilitate washing collars, cap rings, nipples, and pacifiers, without requiring undue manipulation of those articles. The assembly is readily adapted for use in a conventional dishwasher without any need to modify the diswasher rack, or connect the assembly to the rack.